Elgin Baylor

And yet it is a message Pat Riley has carried through his five decades in the NBA, now to the gratitude of another generation, even in these toughest of times.

"I don't think any player is worth his salt unless he attempts to get in world-class condition," Riley says in his Miami Heat executive office overlooking Biscayne Bay. "And that's the least that we should ask of a player, to be in great shape."

The surprising part is that for some on this reconfigured Heat roster, it is the first time the message has been delivered as...

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It is the combination rarely heard from human resources.
"You're hired."
"Now get in shape."
And yet it is a message Pat Riley has carried through his five decades in the NBA, now to the gratitude of another generation, even in these toughest of times....

A look at the starting lineups and inactives, as well as referees and a pregame note of note for Tuesday's 7:30 p.m. game between the Heat and Lakers at AmericanAirlines Arena (TV: Fox Sports Sun. Radio: 790-AM, 106.3-FM, 710-AM-Spanish).
Starting...

Oh what a night, indeed. Some of the math from LeBron James' 61-point eruption Monday against the Bobcats, courtesy of Heat minutiae maven Rob Wilson, as well as Elias Sports Bureau and ESPN:
-- James, who leads the Heat in dunks this season with 94, did...

The Knicks’ long national nightmare is not over, but at least the Zen Master of Disaster will no longer be snoozing in their bed.
New York can hardly contain its glee with the news that Phil Jackson will no longer be asleep at the Knicks’ wheel. If’s...

Did you hear the story of the extremely successful Los Angeles basketball coach who coached an extremely talented 6-6 point guard , the top point guard in the entire country? Who then surprisingly resigned so he could be closer to his home? Or maybe he...

Not long after the Lakers traded for him, point guard Tyler Ennis got a phone call from his new head coach.
“That just made me feel a lot more comfortable,” Ennis said.
On Saturday, Ennis participated in his first Lakers practice. The Rockets traded...

The Lakers are not yet past the point where president of basketball operations Magic Johnson’s mere presence is noteworthy.
He traveled with the Lakers to Oklahoma City and things changed.
We’ll start there in today’s five takeaways from Friday...

The NBA Finals, although obviously not scripted, are close to the next best thing. The NBA wanted very badly to have a seven-game series and that’s exactly what they get. After Draymond Green was suspended for Game 5, they made sure Stephen Curry would be...

There are memorable NBA Finals moments. And then there are Michael Jordan’s NBA Finals moments. Here are the best.
JUNE 5, 1991: L.A. LAKERS AT BULLS
Flight 7:47 took off with just under 8 minutes left in Game 2 of the Michael vs. Magic Finals. In the...

On Sunday, Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James played in his 35th NBA Finals game, tying the number of Finals games played by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. It was a clunker of a game as the Caveliers were walloped by the Golden State...

Former Lakers forward Jim McMillian died Monday at age 68.
He died from complications of heart failure at a hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after being in failing health in recent months, according to his sister-in-law Denise...

This article was published in an April 21, 1986 edition of the Chicago Tribune.
Never in the long and storied tradition of the Boston Celtics has anyone seen anything quite like Michael Jordan.
"I think he's God disguised as Michael Jordan," Larry...

After Kobe Bryant announced late last year that he plans to retire from the NBA at the end of the 2015-16 season, fans started wondering where he ranks among the greatest basketball players of all time.
For most seasons during his long career,...

Former Giants coach Tom Coughlin, who stepped down after yet another disappointing season in what most believe was not a decision of his making, told Fox Sports Radio on Wednesday: "Hey, do I agree with the move? Of course not. It hurts. Former...

Maybe this “new” Lakers offense is exactly what D'Angelo Russell needed for his game to prosper and to reach career heights.
Well, it's really not so new for Russell and his young teammates, but these different sets the Lakers have been running the...

Whining, crying and flopping are one thing, but beating up an equipment manager is quite another. Maybe Blake Griffin needs a timeout. Hopefully the authorities, the Clippers and the NBA can help with that.
Marty Foster
Ventura
::
Bill Plaschke's...

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant remembers exactly what he had to eat in the 24 hours before he scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors 10 years ago this past Friday.
The rest is a beautiful blur in the mind of a 20-year NBA veteran as he looks back on the...

What to get the L.A. sports fan. How about an end to this Dodger TV standoff? Or Vin Scully in the White House? We can – and will – do much worse.
What about an NFL team for L.A., or maybe three?
Or a reprieve from those FarmersOnly.com dating ads,...